Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Biogas plant for school

FREE OF STENCH: A new biogas plant installed at SMV Model Higher Secondary School in the city.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Students and teachers at SMV Model Higher Secondary School can breathe fresh air now. A biogas plant installed in the school will free them from the stench of unsightly garbage on the campus.

The plant has been installed under a community initiative of the City Corporation to collect and process biodegradable solid waste at source. Mayor C. Jayan Babu inaugurated it on Tuesday.

The Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project has assisted in the setting up of the plant, which can treat more than 150 kg of waste a day.

“Nearly 2,000 children study in SMV Model HSS from classes 5 to 12. Nearly 700 children are provided free noon meals. Now that the Corporation has also started a morning meals programme, enough biodegradable waste will be generated in the school to be fed into the plant. This will, in turn, be converted into cooking gas that can be used for preparing the morning and noon meals,” said G.R. Anil, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Health of the Corporation.

“We are sure that this biogas plant will turn out to be a great boon for the school. This not only helps to avoid burning of costly firewood for cooking meals at the school canteen but also helps to dispose the waste generated within the school, through an environment-friendly manner,” Headmaster Marshal K. Jose said.

The Deenabandhu model plant cost Rs.4.4 lakh. A 22-cubic-metre-capacity digester, inlet-outlet tanks, a septic tank, a soak pit and a 0.7-cubic-metre-capacity burner are its main features.

L. Radhamony, director of Sree Tech Society, which installed the plant, said the school authorities should ensure that students did not put chemicals, plastics or other non-biodegradable waste into the plant as these could affect its functioning. The society would train the school staff to run and maintain the plant.

Deputy Mayor V. Jayaprakash, S.A. Sundar, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Welfare, and S.K. Lalithambika, Project Manager, KSUDP, were present at the inaugural function.

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